Venice Archival Photo Gallery

Here's some great historical photos of the areas we visited on the ride. What we wouldn't give to go back and see this stuff for ourselves!

Venice Archival Photo Gallery

Here's some great historical photos of the areas we visited on the ride. What we wouldn't give to go back and see this stuff for ourselves!

Playa del Rey Motordrome

The Los Angeles Motordrome aka "the pie pan" opened on April 8, 1910 near the present-day intersection of Culver and Jefferson boulevards in Playa del Rey. The world’s first elevated wooden board track built for race cars took 16 days to build and cost $12,000. A fire destroyed it in 1913. Wood, go figure? Read more here.

Original Venice of America Canals

These canals were filled in and converted to roads in 1929 but the short line canals we rode over are visible at the left edge of the frame (just to the south of Kinney's canals)

This intersection, on which two original buildings still stand, was the main entry to Abbott Kinney's Venice of America Pier. What was different? See the redcar at the left of the frame? That's the Pacific Electric Trolley, and that's why the street is called Pacific now.